Latch



Patented Nov. 27, 1923.

SAMUEL D. BUTTERWORTH, OF LANSING, MICHIGAN.

LATCH.

Application filed October 26, 1922. Serial No. 597,164.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, SAMUEL D. BUTTER- WORTH, citizen of the United States, residing at Lansing, in the county of Ingharn and State of Michigan, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Latches, of.

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to door latches and locks and has for its object a sliding latch bolt and a special form of keeper or striker plate so coordinated and operating together that no door jamb is required and no bolt retractor.

The striker plate and keeper socket areso contrived in connection with the shape of the latch bolt head as to prevent the latch bolt throwing over the striker plate. At the same time, the striker plate and keeper socket areso designed in connection with the shape of the latch bolt head that the door may be easily opened by pushing or pulling that is persisted in for a sufficient distance or time to cause the latch bolt head to climb out of the keeper socket. This will-be more fully explained hereinafter.

Another feature of the invention is the association with the roller type of sliding latch head, of a striker plate whose projection may be altered by-adjustment. This is highly desirable and almost necessary in order to get the results referred to in the first two paragraphs.

In the drawings: 7

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the latch and lock with the cover plate removed.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detailed section showing the roller and keeper socket diagrammatically.

Fig. 4: is similar view showing the roller climbing out.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

The latch casing is provided with the usual front plate a, and the face plate I). In this casing is guided in any suitable manner the yoke 0 which rotatably supports the roller d constructed preferably of deformable material, such as rubber. A pin 6 extends from one yoke arm to the other rotatably supporting this rubber roll. Secured to the center of the latch casing is a standard f through which slides the rod portion a of the sliding latch bolt. A coiled spring 71 normally tends to project the latch bolt including the roller, out of the case. A

rubber washer i issupported on the end of the rod 9 and serves as a cushion abutment to strike against the hind side of the standard when the latch is outwardly projected by the spring. This makes the spring action and projecting action practically noiseless.

This latch bolt may be easily dogged by providing a turn dog k. This may be turned from the dotted .line position to the full line position, which is a dogging position. A turn button on one side of the door, or a key lock, such as a cylinder lock, may be used to operate this turn dog in a familiar way. It is thought unnecessary to show these. This turn dog is held in either posii tion by the fiat spring m, engaging in one of the notches m.

The rotatable roll in connection with the dogging mechanism has very useful func tions. No retractor whatever is needed when my improved form ofstriker is used. The door may be pushed or pulled open. Furthermore, no separate lock is required on the door. When the dogging mechanism engages the bolt, the door cannot possibly be opened even with the aid of a casement knife. This arrangement therefore eliminates the usual dead-locking bolt employed with a beveled head latch.

I find that by constructing the front wall a of the keeper socket at an angle of about 45 degrees to the line of force, that this will keep the door closed under ordinary conditions, but will permit even a child to open it by a slight push or pull, persisted in to allow the roller to climb the entire incline.

The rear wall or roll abutment of the keeper socket is perpendicular to the plane of the face of the face plate, and this is so arranged with respect to the front wall of the socket, that when the roller rests in the socket, the rear wall extends beyond the cc nter line of the roll parallel with the face plate, and also considerably beyond the high point on the striker surface over which the latch bolt climbs. The result is that the roller cannot over-ride the socket under any ordinary closing movement of the door.

-Now, by having a front wall of the Socket formed on substantially the lines indicated, the roll can be easily pushed out of the keeper socket with very little effort. In fact it would be possible to push the roll out of the keeper socket although the front wall of the keeper socket extended beyond the center line of the roll parallel with the face of the face plate. However, it isgp-referable not to'have the front wall extend quite to this center line, (so latch cannot bet-hrown over the rear abutment) and it is further preferable to have the outer portion of this front wall curved over into a hump as shown in 10 Fig. 3. q

This of course, facilitates the climbing out of the/roller as the rollerapproaches the outside of the socket, ;-and compensates'for the increased resistance of the' latch spring as. the "same is compressed. As I understand the operation of my latch and'strike plate, the inclined plane 01" tangent will strike the roll further away from the line of force,=the smaller the angle betweenthe face of the striker and the inclined plane. Obviously, the further away from the line of force is the'line of contact between roll and striker plate, the less force will be required to open the .door, but the longer will be the path to climb. With my arrangement, a small force exertedon the door has towork through a considerable distance in order to carrythe roll up the entire incline. It is onlypossible in stopping the roll from carrying over the striker and in making a long path of'low resistance for the roll in climbing out, by placingthe strikerplat'e correctly with re spect to the roll. This is accomplished by making'the striker plate gadjustable with respect to the'keeper plate r as shown in'Fig. 1 and Fig.5. Any suitable means of, adjusting the projectioumay be used. Here'two pairs of spacing screws 00, and onepair'of clamping screws 3 are shown. -W hat I claim-is:

1. A lock,-havin g in combination, a housing, ,a plunger rod and plunger .yie'ldingly projected from the housing, a.latch head connected with the. end of theplunger and having soft yieldable surface for striking the strikerfwherebythe impact is substantially noiseless, and means for arresting the outward projection of the plunger including animpacti-member of soft yieldable material to get the best results 'Wllllljfl) striking surf-ace in the form of; a

roll, astriker provided with a socket having its rear'wall in the form of an abrupt abut the so'ckettoarrest th'e roll from passing over the socket, a keeper plate and means" for adj ustably mounting the striker. plate on this" ment extending beyond the. front wallof the keeper plateto properly coordinate the striker'plate with the roll. I

*3. In a lock, the combinationof a casing,

a latch bolt slidable therein and provided with a striking surface in: the form of aroll,

a strikerprovided with a socket having for the front wall, a relatively longinclined plane of low resistance, a keeper plate and means for adjustably mounting the striker plate upon the keeper plate.

4. In a'lock, the combination ofacasi'ng, a latchbolt slidable therein, and provided with a striking surface in the form of a 7 roll, theistriker provided'with a socket having an abrupt .rear wall extending beyond the front wall socket to act as a roll stop and provided with a relatively long inclined plane of low resistance to the roll, a keeper plate, and means for adjustably mounting" the striker plate uponthe keeper plate.

5. In a lock, the combination off-a casin alatch bolt slidable therein provided .wit

a striking surface in'the form of a roll, and i a striker plate comprising a plate provided with a central opening forming a socket,-

the rear wall of said socket being abrupt to;

form an abutment calculated to prevent the roll-like latch 'head throwing over the socket, while at the, front of the socket,

there aretwo gradually inclined'low resistance planes, th inner one of which provides a path by which the roll may climb out 'of the socket by a smalliforce exercised through a considerable distance of travel and l the outer plane affords the striking surface of the striker. v V p w l Intestimony whereof I aflix my signature.

' SAMUEL D. 

